Things are about to get a bit crazier around these parts. We’re moving this week and classes for me start next monday! It’s important to me that this blog stays a priority but it’s almost unavoidable that I’ll have less time to give to it (at least for a while). I’m finally getting excited about all this change but also know that it has the potential to not be easy. But when everything else is changing, I’m thankful that God stays the same and that we can count on him. He is our Rock, in whom there is “no variation or shadow cast by turning” (James 1:17, HCSB). Thank God (literally) for that!

Random thought to start off today: I was supposed to be born on August 8th-that is, it was my due date. Would have made it pretty easy to remember: 08-08-’88! But I was a few days late and it didn’t happen. Oh well!

Anyways, here are the tweets I enjoyed/liked the most this week:

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13 (ESV)

“and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2

About a month ago in a post titled “Why You Settle For Less When You Know There’s Better” on the Storyline Blog, Cadence Turpin shared a simple story about a man and a maple tree. It’s stuck with me since then because it deals with a topic and some questions that I’ve been asking during our transition from the past season of our life into the next one: dealing with necessary change.

How many times have I been afraid to let go of a relationship, job or opportunity because it felt hard and I wasn’t sure if God was going to really provide something better?

The answer (for me at least) is many, many times. Change isn’t always fun. Or easy. Or exciting. But there are lessons to be learned in the midst of it. One I’ve been reminded of and learning in a deeper way is the truth in Isaiah 26:3-4:

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the LordGod is an everlasting rock.

God is faithful. HE won’t change. He’s our sure foundation in the middle of all else. And that’s the first step: trust him. The rest will follow.

Like this:

Well today seems to not be a great day for bands I loved in 2012. First there’s the news (not a surprise, since they’ve been on hiatus for a few years at this point) that Joy Williams and John Paul White, formerly of The Civil Wars, have officially parted ways. From the statement on their website:

Joy Williams comments, “I am saddened and disappointed by the ending of this duo, to say the very least. JP is a tremendous musician, and I will always be grateful for the music we were able to create together… I’m so thankful and my heart is full. Looking ahead, I’m excited to share the music that I am writing and recording in the midst of this difficult transition. I’ve loved being back in the studio, and have missed performing live. I look forward to seeing you soon.” John Paul adds, “I would like to express sincere thanks to all who were a part of the arc of The Civil Wars—from the beginning, to the end, and all points in between. My deep appreciation goes out to all who supported, disseminated, and enjoyed the music. Whatever shape or form the next chapter takes, thanks for being a large part of this one.”

The only thing that makes this bittersweet (as opposed to just bitter) is that they have a version of “You Are My Sunshine” available for download that was previously unreleased for download in the US.

As if that weren’t enough, it seems that Gungor has been making some waves of their own for their shifting theology. World magazine reported on it a few days ago, but the gist of it is that Michael Gungor no longer believes in certain portions of Scripture, among them a literal Adam and Noah (which he compares to Santa Claus) and God being our Father and not our mother. Rather than commenting too much on it myself, I’ll just link to two articles that treat the issue more fully: the first one here and the second one here.

Both of these stories leave me wishing the outcomes had been different, albeit for different reasons. And who knows? Maybe this isn’t the final word for one or both of the bands. But it seems to be just another reminder that nothing here is permanent and of the importance of enjoying where God has us for now while expecting change in the future.

I generally don’t comment on Mark Driscoll controversies. I refrain partially because it feels like click-bait most of the time. Also, because there’s plenty of commentary on him already. Finally, because part of me still feels some sad affection for him. As a young man (like 19) I used to listen to him and I’d be a liar if I didn’t say I learned a lot and grew to love Jesus more. He was funny, he preached the Bible, and was free to download. (Ironically enough, this was the same period that I was also podcasting Rob Bell and learning from him too. Needless to say, like most 19-year-olds, I was a theologically confused young man.) In any case, though I stopped paying attention to him a long time ago, and have been increasingly saddened and frustrated at his antics, I really, really haven’t wanted to…

Share this:

Like this:

One of the defining characteristics of Twitter is that, for better or worse, you’re limited to 140 characters. While this can be frustrating at times, the forced brevity and succinctness can also lead to capturing some ideas better in a sentence or two than you might otherwise have done so in a paragraph (or more).

All this is a short introduction to what I’m testing out as a recurring feature here on the blog: Tweets of the Week. Every week or so I’ll compile some tweets that I liked or that impacted me from people I’m following and share them without (much) comment. So here’s the first few!